Apologize
by RebeccaRoy
Summary: This is a one shot based on the series "The Best Revenge" by Arsinoe de Blassenville, I wanted so badly to see Sirius have to apologize when he realizes how good Severus is. So here is the fiction that shows Sirius can do the right thing.


_Disclaimer:_

_I do not own the characters of Harry Potter, these belong to that wonderful author JK Rowling and the various publishing companies used to publish her works. I am however borrowing them, no not to make money but for fun and fun only. _

_Summary:_

_This is a one shot based on the series "The Best Revenge" by Arsinoe de Blassenville, I wanted so badly to see Sirius have to apologize when he realizes how good Severus is. So here is the fiction that shows Sirius can do the right thing._

_I had written this before, but had not liked how it turned out, too fluffy as Sirius still did not seem as realistic as needed here. In this Sirius has done some major growing up, and I mean major, and he realizes he has been evil and cruel and not a nice person at all. So with that on with the story!_

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Severus sat at his desk reading over a report, a report he had written himself and had published in _Potions Weekly_. He liked to see his own work there as he knew how smart and bright he was, he certainly was not good looking, that much he knew. Yet he was not as ugly as he thought himself, he was tall, lean with long black hair, an angular face with high cheekbones, a prominent hooked nose and deep black eyes, he was pale but not in a sickly way and his black raiment was well tailored and fit him well. He sat back as Charity came up and began to massage his shoulders and he smiled. He was lucky, he supposed to have such a beautiful wife as Charity was. She too was tall with dark blond hair done up in braids, blue eyes and today she was clad in robes of green.

"Reading anything interesting love?" Charity asked.

"Oh nothing much, just my article." Severus said, "it's not bad."

"Hmm very modest" Charity said kissing along his jaw, "I rather like the wizard who wrote it."

"Oh?" Severus said turning to face her, "how much do you like him?"

"Oh enough to marry him, and other things, shall I show you?" Charity asked.

"I doubt he would mind." Severus said moving to stand and kiss her when there was a knock at the door, "damn, wonder who that is, come in!"

Severus went for his wand with a muttered curse as the tall stocky form of one Sirius Black entered the room. Sirius held up his hands to show they were empty and stood at the center of the room looking from Severus to Charity and back to Severus again. He looked much better than he had the last time Severus saw him, his near black hair hung in waves to his shoulders and he looked as if he had a tan. His gray eyes were not filled with cold dislike of Severus but sorrow and shame. He was clad in rich robes of dark maroon with navy buttons and trim and he had highly polished boots on his feet. He looked nervous as if he expected to be hexed and Severus sat back in his chair wondering what had got into Black.

"What do you want Black?" Severus asked coldly.

"I came to apologize Severus." Sirius said getting Severus to raise an eyebrow, Black never used his first name, "I am an ass."

"Yes you are, but I already knew that mutt." Severus snapped.

"We will not be overheard here will we?" Sirius said, "what I mean is well I know all about Harry, Minerva told me and well, Severus I am sorry, I am a wicked evil man for how I treated you. I had no right to treat you as I did, you cannot really blame James, it was Peter and I who really wanted to torment and torture you. James just went along and well Remus, well I was not a good friend to him, none of us were really. But I was the worst, I said I did not want to be like my parents but I was, I was and the way I treated you proved that."

"James was as much a bully as you, Lily deserved better." Severus said the words out he had wanted to say for so long, "he was not good enough for her."

"Oh he knew that." Sirius said, "always was trying to do everything for her, waited on her hand and foot he did."

"Really?" Severus said not believing that, not with what he saw at Godric's Hallow "I find that hard to believe."

"It's true, he grew up, I did not. I am now in counseling, Madam Flamel found this great woman to help me, she will not let me get away with anything, and I no longer touch alcohol either, I tend to get drunk when I do and well that is not good."

"No it's not, that is good news." Charity said putting a hand on Severus's shoulder.

"I ah have been working on something too." Sirius said, "before I give it to you I want to thank you Severus, for all you have done for Harry."

"What could you possibly have for me Black?" Severus said coldly.

"Here, this, I wrote it." Sirius replied handing over a book.

Sirius handed it over and was not surprised or even offended when Severus waved his wand over it to check it. He had a right to after all the way he had treated Severus in school, he actually felt horrible for what he had done, especially after Severus had taken such good care of Harry when Severus had every right to hate the boy because in truth how James had treated him in school. Severus read through the small book and looked impressed, he put it down and looked up at Sirius and he had a choice to make, he could continue the feud and refuse to accept Sirius's apology or he could be the bigger man and accept it. It was his choice after all, he knew what he would do, for Harry he would accept the apology.

"You did well here Sirius." Severus said, "but what do you intend on doing with it?"

"Um well I spoke to the headmaster and he wants to get it to every student starting next year." Sirius said, "half the money made will go to Harry, he did the illustrations after all."

"Thought I recognized his style." Severus said.

"He is really good, you did well too Sirius." Charity said.

"I am sorry to you as well Mrs. Snape, I was a crude little boy in school." Sirius said.

"You don't have to call me Mrs. Snape, Charity is fine, and apology accepted." Charity said, "now can I leave you boys here?"

"Yes, I do not intend on killing Sirius today." Severus said.

"Um before you go, I have a gift, it was my aunts, I spoke to Narcissa and she agreed you would like this." Sirius said handing Charity a small box which she opened and took out a silver bracelet set with moonstone. "It's to help with er fertility."

Severus looked at Sirius with wide eyes, this was indeed an amazing gift and it was clear that Sirius did mean what he said. If Sirius could change he could become a good and powerful head of the Black family, that is if he was growing up. Severus knew this was Sirius Black, he had ways to know if someone was who they said they were with the crystals and such Charity had put up that would warn if someone was disguised under a glamour or Polyjuice potion. Sirius handed a box to Severus and Severus raised an eyebrow, he checked the box with his wand and then opened it and took out the ring within. It was silver with a silver snake coiled on the top with two tiny emeralds for eyes. He looked up at Sirius stunned, this was a priceless gift and one that he never expected from one such as Black.

"My grandfather Phineas, well his portrait suggested it, said you were as true a Slytherin as they come and well I agree, in a good way. I was blind about Slytherin house, you are not all bad, my parents turned me against it how I was raised and I took it out on you because I was stupid." Sirius said.

"Thank you," Severus said slipping it on, "however if you are trying to bribe me to be a friend you have another thing coming!"

"No Severus, I just want to show I can change, and will do better, be better." Sirius said, "I promise I will."

"I can accept that." Severus said standing and extending his hand, "thank you."

"No thank you Severus, you are brilliant, you really are."

"Thank you, I know."

It would take time and Sirius could still be a jerk at times but he really was trying. He was slowly turning out to be the man he should have been and in time he would become a great head of the Black family. For now he had set aside a grudge, apologized for his behavior and was doing all he could to show he could change and for the better. It was all anyone could hope for as he really was a good man and it took a former "enemy" taking care of his godson when he could not to bring that out in him.

The End


End file.
